Old Llantrisant Hill
Introduction
- Imagine a scenario
- A medical emergency - calling the Emergency Services
- 8 minutes for a Category A ambulance - not 4 days as in the case with Lazarus
- Human do not like waiting
- Delays often have consequences
- Humans cause delay
- We often think there can be delays with God
- Does it appear that Jesus is indifferent to Lazarus?
- Do you feel that God is delayed in an are of your life?
- We forget how things work in life
- Is it not often that delays are an ideal learning experience?
- Personal example - often you have to go down before you can go up
- Delays can hurt, but they often move us to a higher mountain
- Overview: four things about this delay
A Loving Delay (v5)
- Mary and Martha loved the Lord Jesus
- Jesus loved both Mary and Martha
- Jesus loved Lazarus
- Explanation
- He loved them all by name
- He loved them with a human love
- He loved them with a divine love
- v3 & v 35 - phileo: friendship love [human]
- v5 - agape: self-sacrifical love [divine]
- Personal example of son
- v5 - Because Jesus loved them: Jesus was going to do something for them
- His divine love for them was the reason for the delay
- The reason for the delay was because Jesus loved them
- God has big love for us
- God loves us more than just to give us a comfortable life
A Complete Delay (v6)
- People were expecting a healing miracle - but something special for Jesus' friend
- However, Jesus did nothing
- We do not have a God of infinite predictability
- We cannot tell what God will do
- In this passage - God did the opposite of what we thought He would do
- He delayed
- A knowledgeable delay
- A silent delay
- A long delay - two days
- A voluntary delay
- Jesus could have healed Lazarus with one look, word or thought
- How can this be?
- In God's big love there is room enough for mystery
- Examples - C. S. Lewis
- Don't play the blame game
- Has God given you something to keep you going - v4
- Keep looking in the right direction
A Tragic Delay
- What happened during those two days of delay?
- Two examples:
- A visitor to Lazarus was saved
- Stayed on the level
- No - he died
- The worst case scenario
- Elaboration
- It was a family loss
- Deep spiritual confusion
- The Lord Jesus did not come for Lazarus - elaboration
- Isaiah 63:
- In all our affliction - He is afflicted
- God has not finished yet
A Blessed Delay (v14)
- "Purpose"
- Whatever our suffering or delay - God has a purpose
- So often it is that 'we might believe'
- v15 - Jesus was glad / He 'rejoiced'
- He rejoices at the prospect of growing faith
- You can see the limits of Mary and Martha's faith
- They believed he could be healed
- They did not believe he could be raised from the dead
- Our there limits to our faith?
- Example
Closing Remarks
- Sometimes for faith to grow - it has to go down into the valley before going up to the taller mountain
- We don't always understand why the Lord delays
- Two options:
- We can wait for eternity and look back on the delay and thank God
- We can thank Him now - when we don't understand